According to some communication systems, a user equipment (UE) may have multislot class capability. The multislot class may define a maximum transfer rate in uplink (UL) and downlink (DL) directions. Depending on the multislot class of the UE, the UE may be incapable of simultaneously receiving and transmitting data.
Typically, the UE may make its multislot class known to a network during a registration process. Thereafter, the network may, among other things, determine the main transfer direction (e.g., UL or DL) of a session. Depending on the type of session (e.g., an interactive services session), the network may be required to quickly shift the bandwidth demands from the UL to the DL, and vice versa. However, the shifting between UL and DL directions often occupies a significant amount of time. Thus, for the UE incapable of simultaneously receiving and transmitting data, there may be an under-utilization of the available bandwidth, which, in turn, may degrade a quality of service to a user.
In a Global Systems for Mobile communications (GSM)/EDGE Radio Access Network (GERAN), for example, existing specifications for the GERAN may be unable to handle quickly shifting bandwidth demands since it requires re-assignments of the Temporary Block Flows (TBFs). Thus, the GERAN may often provide equal bandwidth to ULs and DLs. However, such an approach can translate into an under-utilization of the multislot capability of the UE and the bandwidth available. Additionally, or alternatively, the processing resources of the UE may be subjected to significant demands in order to switch between receiving and transmitting at any time. This is particularly the case when the UE supports a high number of timeslots (e.g., more than four timeslots) for reception and transmission, respectively. As a result, in practice, for example, the UE may be limited to five or six timeslots per carrier in one direction, and one or two timeslots in the opposite direction.